Burstable sporicidal cleaning wipe system for c. difficile spores

ABSTRACT

Sanitizing and disinfecting compositions with relatively low levels of free available chlorine, with good effectiveness against microbes, included in a burstable pouch of a system also including a plurality of initially undosed (e.g., dry) wipes in a resealable package thereof. The composition may include less than 0.5% by weight hypochlorite or other free available chlorine level, with a pH less than 12. The composition is long term stable in the pouch, but upon bursting of the pouch and dosing of the wipes, exhibits only short-term stability. Because of the low level of hypochlorite, the dosed wipes exhibit improved surface compatibility and negligible “bleach” odor, while providing at least a 3-log reduction in  C. diff  population within 10 minutes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. The Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to systems for delivering liquidcompositions including active chlorine species (e.g., a hypohalite), forexample, as used to sanitize, disinfect, clean, or otherwise treat asurface.

2. Description of Related Art

Sodium hypochlorite is a highly effective cleaning, bleaching andsanitizing agent that is widely used in cleaning and sanitizing varioushard and soft surfaces, etc. In order to achieve efficacy againstvarious microorganisms (e.g., particularly Clostridium difficile (“C.diff”) or tuberculosis (“TB”)), existing bleach compositions havetypically required the inclusion of at least 0.5% bleach in theformulation, particularly in order to be effective against spores ofsuch microorganisms. Inclusion of less bleach has not typically beenreliable against such microorganisms or their spores, particularly whilealso providing adequate shelf life for the product.

While such existing formulations can be relatively effective againsttarget microorganisms, the inclusion of the relatively highconcentrations of hypochlorite bleach components in existingformulations results in damage to hard and soft surfaces to which suchcompositions are applied. In addition, the characteristic “bleach” odorassociated with such compositions is also often a problem. Somehealthcare workers are hesitant to use such bleach compositions forapplication to a wide variety of surfaces and environments because theyhave concerns about surface damage and overwhelming bleach odor.Healthcare workers may use such compositions to treat an area where apatient who was known to be infected has been (e.g., an isolation room),but such workers are often hesitant to use such bleach compositions morebroadly, for general prevention of a disease outbreak. In order tobetter prevent outbreaks, and rather than just react to such outbreaks,all surfaces in such a healthcare setting should be treated with themost effective composition available, but as a practical matter otherconsiderations such as surface compatibility and overall aesthetics ofthe product exert a heavy influence on what compositions are used, andwhen.

As such, there continues to be a need for systems that could providegood microefficacy against target microorganisms, at very low activechlorine concentrations (e.g., less than 0.5% by weight), whilemaintaining adequate stability (e.g., 1 year shelf stable) for thesystem as a whole, as manufactured. Development of such systems thatinclude a composition having low free active chlorine concentration,exhibiting good microefficacy, and a long shelf-life for the system as awhole, would be particularly advantageous as this would allowapplication of such compositions more broadly to a wider variety ofsurfaces, and environments, due to improved surface compatibility andless (e.g., even negligible) “bleach” odor.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

While one may consider decreasing the amount of hypohalite (e.g.,hypochlorite) or other source of free available halide (e.g., freeavailable chlorine) in such a formulation to present a solution to theabove problems, conventional wisdom teaches that decreasing the amountof hypochlorite or other free available chlorine concentration will havea large negative impact on the microefficacy of the formulation.Furthermore, while it is generally known that decreasing pH can increasemicroefficacy, such decreases in pH are also associated withsubstantially decreased shelf-stability of the formulation, particularlyin the presence of organic surfactants. This presents a significantchallenge to provide a formulation, which would have lower hypochloriteor other free available halide concentration (e.g., less than 0.5%),while still providing at least a 12-month shelf life, and also achievingefficacy against C. diff, TB, or other target microorganisms.

Furthermore, providing such compositions already pre-dosed on a wipe(e.g., a nonwoven wipe) is desirable from the perspective of ease ofuse, but this can also greatly affect microefficacy. For example, wheresuch compositions are dosed onto such a wipe or other substrate, thecomposition as squeezed from the substrate (i.e., the squozate) is notthe same as that which was loaded into the substrate because thesubstrate often binds or otherwise inactivates some of the hypohalite orother active in the composition dosed onto the substrate. Suchinteractions negatively affect the microefficacy of the system as awhole. Because of similar interactions between the composition and thesubstrate, the composition also often exhibits significantly reducedstability once dosed onto the substrate. For example, while a givencomposition on its own may exhibit an acceptable shelf life of a year ormore, the same composition as loaded onto a substrate may now onlyexhibit a shelf life that is far shorter, e.g., such as less than 6months, less than 1 month, or in some circumstances, even less than 1day. It would be advantageous to provide a system that could providewipes dosed with a sanitizing or disinfecting composition, which wasformulated to have low “bleach” odor characteristics and improvedsurface compatibility (e.g., about 0.05-0.5% free available chlorine),but where the system at the same time could provide an acceptable shelflife to the system as a whole (e.g., at least 6 months, or at least 1year). The present invention provides such a system.

In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a system forsanitizing or disinfecting, where the system includes a packagecontaining a plurality of wipes that are initially undosed, and asanitizing or disinfecting composition within a burstable pouch of thepackage, configured to dose the undosed wipes with the composition uponbursting of the pouch. The composition includes less than 0.5% by weightof hypohalite (e.g., hypochlorite) or other free available halide (e.g.,chlorine). The composition may have a pH of less than 12 (e.g., from 11to 11.5). The composition as used once dosed on the wipe may provide atleast a 3-log reduction in a C. diff or other target population within10 minutes (e.g., within 5 minutes, within 3 minutes).

One or more surfactants may be included in the composition. For example,applicant has unexpectedly discovered that surfactant selection in suchcompositions including very low free available chlorine can be at leastas important as pH or other characteristics for driving stability andmicroefficacy. Applicant has found that inclusion of nonionic and/orzwitterionic surfactants in particular may greatly enhancemicroefficacy, and allow for some relative reduction in pH, whilemaintaining desired stability characteristics. Anionic surfactants mayactually interfere with the ability to provide such results, and assuch, may be limited or excluded from the formulation. The presentsystems provide a composition that exhibits improved aesthetics (e.g.,odor) and surface compatibility, for dosing onto one or more wipes orother substrates just before initial use of the pack or other containerof wipes, which provides the above-described benefits, while also beingeffective against C. diff, TB or other target microbes, including sporesthereof.

This effect of surfactant package selection was surprisingly found to beso strong that it controlled whether the formulation passed applicableEPA TB kill tests or not, independent of hypochlorite concentration.Such discovery has allowed Applicant to provide specific formulationsthat include only very low levels of hypochlorite or other freeavailable chlorine, addressing issues with odor and surfacecompatibility, while at the same time providing microefficacy againstTB, C. diff, or other desired target organisms.

The composition may have an R value that is greater than 0 (e.g., atleast 0.5, or equal to 1), where R value is defined as the sum of theconcentration of “good” nonionic, zwitterionic, and cationic surfactants(or chaotropes) divided by total surfactant (including any chaotropes,and/or any surfactant aids) concentration. The term “surfactant” is usedherein broadly, for simplicity, and includes such chaotropes or othercomponents included principally for reducing surface tension. Thecomposition as delivered from a dosed wipe of the system may exhibit atleast a 3-log reduction against one or both of C. diff or the TB causingbacteria Mycobacterium bovis within 10 minutes (e.g., 2-10 minutes, 3-7minutes, or 3-5 minutes).

The composition for dosing the wipes advantageously includes less sodiumhypochlorite or other free available halide than typical existingformulations, e.g., often only 0.4% or less (e.g., 0.2% to 0.3%), so asto be less likely to cause unwanted surface damage, or exhibit anundesirable “bleach” odor during use. Such compositions may thus exhibitincreased compatibility to be more useful across a wide variety ofenvironments and uses. The concentration of hypochlorite or other freeavailable halide may be even less than the above values, as delivered inthe squozate (i.e., as squeezed from the wipe), e.g., due tointeractions between the wipe and the composition.

Another embodiment is directed to a system for sanitizing ordisinfecting comprising a re-sealable package containing a plurality ofinitially dry wipes, and a sanitizing or disinfecting compositionincluding from 0.05% to less than 0.5% (e.g., 0.2% to 0.3%) by weight ofhypochlorite or other free available chlorine, at least one nonionic orzwitterionic surfactant, where the R value as defined above is greaterthan 0, where the composition has a pH from 8.5 to 11.8, and where thecomposition may exhibit at least a 3-log reduction in C. diff within 10minutes, or within 5 minutes, or within 3 minutes. In this embodiment,the composition may be free of anionic surfactants.

Further features and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the detaileddescription of preferred embodiments below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To further clarify the above and other advantages and features of thepresent invention, a more particular description of the invention willbe rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which areillustrated in the drawings located in the specification. It isappreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of theinvention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope.The invention will be described and explained with additionalspecificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1A-1C show perspective views of an exemplary “flat pack” or “flexpack” system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1D illustrates another exemplary system according to anotherembodiment.

FIGS. 1E-1F schematically illustrate how the burstable pouch containingthe sanitizing or disinfecting composition may be activated, deliveringthe composition into that portion of the package that includes theinitially undosed wipes or dry wipes.

FIG. 1G shows an alternative exemplary system in which the container orpackage is configured as a cylinder, in which the wipes are configuredas a “donut” that is received into the cylinder.

FIGS. 2-3 show stability results for an exemplary composition for use inthe present systems, both alone (not dosed on a wipe) and dosed ondifferently packaged synthetic wipes (flat pack and canister).

FIG. 4A shows stability results for an exemplary composition dosed ontoa pulp containing wipe.

FIG. 4B shows stability results for another exemplary composition dosedonto a wipe.

FIG. 5A shows residue (e.g., streaking and filming) results for twoexemplary compositions as compared to a comparative composition.

FIG. 5B charts residue (e.g., streaking and filming) results for thecompositions tested in FIG. 5A.

FIG. 6 charts evaluation of odor characteristics of an exemplarycomposition compared to comparative compositions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS I. Definitions

Before describing the present invention in detail, it is to beunderstood that this invention is not limited to particularlyexemplified systems or process parameters that may, of course, vary. Itis also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for thepurpose of describing particular embodiments of the invention only, andis not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any manner.

All publications, patents and patent applications cited herein, whethersupra or infra, are hereby incorporated by reference in their entiretyto the same extent as if each individual publication, patent or patentapplication was specifically and individually indicated to beincorporated by reference.

The term “comprising,” which is synonymous with “including,”“containing,” or “characterized by,” is inclusive or open-ended and doesnot exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps.

The term “consisting essentially of” limits the scope of a claim to thespecified materials or steps “and those that do not materially affectthe basic and novel characteristic(s)” of the claimed invention.

The term “consisting of” as used herein, excludes any element, step, oringredient not specified in the claim.

It must be noted that, as used in this specification and the appendedclaims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include plural referentsunless the content clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example,reference to a “surfactant” includes one, two or more such surfactants.

Unless otherwise stated, all percentages, ratios, parts, and amountsused and described herein are by weight.

Numbers, percentages, ratios, or other values stated herein may includethat value, and also other values that are about or approximately thestated value, as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in theart. As such, all values herein are understood to be modified by theterm “about”. A stated value should therefore be interpreted broadlyenough to encompass values that are at least close enough to the statedvalue to perform a desired function or achieve a desired result, and/orvalues that round to the stated value. The stated values include atleast the variation to be expected in a typical manufacturing process,and may include values that are within 10%, within 5%, within 1%, etc.of a stated value. Furthermore, where used, the terms “substantially”,“similarly”, “about” or “approximately” represent an amount or stateclose to the stated amount or state that still performs a desiredfunction or achieves a desired result. For example, the term“substantially” “about” or “approximately” may refer to an amount thatis within 10% of, within 5% of, or within 1% of, a stated amount orvalue.

Some ranges may be disclosed herein. Additional ranges may be definedbetween any values disclosed herein as being exemplary of a particularparameter. All such ranges are contemplated and within the scope of thepresent disclosure.

In the application, effective amounts are generally those amounts listedas the ranges or levels of ingredients in the descriptions, which followhereto. Unless otherwise stated, amounts listed in percentage (“%'s”)are in weight percent (based on 100% active) of any composition.

The phrase ‘free of’ or similar phrases if used herein means that thecomposition or article comprises 0% of the stated component, that is,the component has not been intentionally added. However, it will beappreciated that such components may incidentally form thereafter, undersome circumstances, or such component may be incidentally present, e.g.,as an incidental contaminant.

The phrase ‘substantially free of’ or similar phrases as used hereinmeans that the composition or article preferably comprises 0% of thestated component, although it will be appreciated that very smallconcentrations may possibly be present, e.g., through incidentalformation, contamination, or even by intentional addition. Suchcomponents may be present, if at all, in amounts of less than 1%, lessthan 0.5%, less than 0.25%, less than 0.1%, less than 0.05%, less than0.01%, less than 0.005%, less than 0.001%, or less than 0.0001%. In someembodiments, the compositions or articles described herein may be freeor substantially free from any specific components not mentioned withinthis specification.

As used herein, “disposable” is used in its ordinary sense to mean anarticle that is disposed or discarded after a limited number of usageevents, preferably less than 25, more preferably less than about 10, andmost preferably after a single usage event. The wipes disclosed hereinare typically disposable.

As used herein, the term “substrate” is intended to include any materialthat is used to clean an article or a surface. Examples of cleaningsubstrates include, but are not limited to nonwovens, sponges, films andsimilar materials which in some embodiments can be attached to acleaning implement, such as a floor mop, handle, or a hand held cleaningtool, such as a toilet cleaning device. In an embodiment, the substratemay be a wipe.

As used herein, “wiping” refers to any shearing action that the wipeundergoes while in contact with a target surface. This includes hand orbody motion, substrate-implement motion over a surface, or anyperturbation of the substrate via energy sources such as ultrasound,mechanical vibration, electromagnetism, and so forth.

The cleaning compositions dosed onto the substrate as described hereinmay provide sanitization, disinfection, or sterilization. As usedherein, the term “sanitize” shall mean the reduction of “target”contaminants in the inanimate environment to levels considered safeaccording to public health ordinance, or that reduces a “target”bacterial population by significant numbers where public healthrequirements have not been established. By way of example, an at least99% reduction in bacterial population within a 24 hour time period isdeemed “significant.” Greater levels of reduction (e.g., 99.9%, 99.99%,etc.) are possible, as are faster treatment times (e.g., within 10minutes, within 5 minutes, within 3 minutes, within 2 minutes, or within1 minute), when sanitizing. As used herein, the term “disinfect” shallmean the elimination of many or all “target” pathogenic microorganismson surfaces with the exception of bacterial endospores. As used herein,the term “sterilize” shall mean the complete elimination or destructionof all forms of “target” microbial life and which is authorized underthe applicable regulatory laws to make legal claims as a “sterilant” orto have sterilizing properties or qualities. Some embodiments mayprovide for at least a 2 or more log reduction in a bacterial populationwithin a designated time period (e.g., 10 minutes, 5 minutes, 3 minutes,1 minute, 30 seconds, 10 seconds or the like). A 2-log reduction isequivalent to a 99% reduction, a 3-log reduction is equivalent to atleast a 99.9% reduction, a 4-log reduction is equivalent to at least a99.99% reduction, a 5-log reduction is equivalent to at least a 99.999%reduction, etc. An example of a target microbe may be C. diff. It willbe appreciated that microefficacy can also be achieved against othertarget microbes, numerous examples of which will be apparent to those ofskill in the art

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art to which the invention pertains. Although a number of methodsand materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can beused in the practice of the present invention, the preferred materialsand methods are described herein.

In the application, effective amounts are generally those amounts listedas the ranges or levels of ingredients in the descriptions, which followhereto. Unless otherwise stated, amounts listed in percentage are inweight percent (based on 100 weight percent active) of the particularmaterial present in the referenced composition, any remaining percentagebeing water or an aqueous carrier sufficient to account for 100% of thecomposition, unless otherwise noted. For very low weight percentages,the term “ppm” corresponding to parts per million on a weight/weightbasis may be used, noting that 0.1% by weight corresponds to 1000 ppm.

II. Introduction

The present invention relates to systems for sanitization ordisinfection, that provide for long term stability of wipes (e.g.,nonwoven wipe substrates) provided within a package in an un-dosedcondition, in combination with a sanitizing or disinfecting compositionalso provided within the package, but initially separate from the wipes(e.g., within a burstable pouch, or activated compartment), because upondosing of the composition onto the wipes, the composition exhibits onlyrelatively short term stability. This configuration of keeping thecomposition separate from the wipes, but still stored within the asmanufactured package, provides convenience to the user, while at thesame time providing long term stability for the system as packaged(i.e., wipes and treatment composition separated), while also providingvery good surface compatibility (e.g., due to very low bleachconcentration) and aesthetic characteristics (e.g., low to negligiblebleach odor). At the same time, even though the composition exhibitsvery low hypochlorite or other free available halide concentration, itadvantageously also exhibits very good efficacy against various targetmicroorganisms, such as C. diff, M. bovis, or the like (e.g., at least a3-log reduction in such target population within 10 minutes).

Such results are advantageous and even surprising, as it can otherwisebe impossible as a practical matter to achieve long-term stability, lowbleach odor, and microefficacy, all at the same time.

In addition, Applicant has discovered a surprising relationship betweenmicroefficacy and surfactant package selection, particularly for suchcompositions including only very low levels of hypochlorite or otherfree available halide oxidant (e.g., less than 1%, less than 0.5%, lessthan 0.45%, less than 0.4%, or less than 0.35%), as described inApplicant's U.S. application Ser. No. 16/182,415, filed on a Nov. 6,2018, bearing Attorney Docket No. 950.136 herein incorporated byreference in its entirety.

The inclusion of less oxidant renders such formulations far morecompatible for use on various surfaces, which previously were notroutinely treated with hypochlorite containing bleach compositions, outof fear that damage to applied surfaces would result. Similarly, becausethe concentration of free available chlorine is far lower, suchcompositions exhibit far less “bleach” odor, making them far moreaesthetically appealing for use in healthcare and other environments,where a strong bleach odor can be problematic. For example, previously,a strong bleach composition may have been used in isolation rooms of ahospital or similar setting where a patient infected with C. diff mayhave been kept, which strong composition is effective at sanitizing ordisinfecting against such. Nevertheless, because of the low surfacecompatibility and strong bleach odor such strong composition was notused generally, in other areas of such hospital or similar healthcarefacility. As a result, treatments against C. diff have largely beenreactive, rather than proactive, treating after an infection has alreadyoccurred in an individual, rather than a treatment which might beproactive, in preventing infection from occurring in the first place.The present systems and compositions now provide a solution by whichhealthcare workers or others have a system which can be applied widelyand generally, to essentially all surfaces and rooms, and which will beeffective against C. diff or other target microbes, without the surfacecompatibility problems, or odor problems associated with previouslyavailable solutions.

The present systems address many of such issues, providing systems thatensure long term stability for the system as provided, and which includecompositions that include very low levels of hypochlorite or other freeavailable chlorine capable of providing desired microefficacy, andexcellent surface compatibility.

III. Exemplary Systems

FIGS. 1A-1F illustrate exemplary systems according to variousembodiments of the present invention. For example, FIGS. 1A-1Cillustrate an exemplary system 100 including a package 102 that containsa plurality of wipes 104 sealed for storage within the package 102. Forexample, the package 102 may be water-tight, e.g., sealing the wipeswithin the package. Such water-tight seal becomes important particularlyafter the initially un-dosed (e.g., dry) wipes are dosed by the user,e.g., immediately prior to initial use, to retain the dosing compositionwithin the package, and keep the wipes from drying out once dosed.

The system 100 further includes a sanitizing or disinfecting composition106 that is initially stored within a burstable pouch 108 of package102. The burstable pouch 108 is configured to dose the initiallyun-dosed (e.g., dry) wipes 104 upon bursting of pouch 108. As noted, thesanitizing or disinfecting composition 106 initially stored within pouch108 may include a low concentration (e.g., less than 0.5%) of anoxidant, such as a hypochlorite or another free available halide. Inaddition to low bleach concentration, the composition includes a pH thatis less than 12 (e.g., greater than 7, such as 8 to less than 12, suchas 11 to 11.5). The composition advantageously provides microefficacyagainst one or more target microbes (e.g., C. diff, M. bovis, or thelike). For example, in an embodiment, the composition may exhibit atleast a 3-log reduction in a C. diff population within 10 minutes (e.g.,within 5 minutes). Various details of exemplary compositions andexemplary wipe substrates are discussed in more detail below.

a. Free Available Chlorine or Other Halide Oxidant

The compositions advantageously include a component capable of providinga desired relatively low level of free available chlorine or otherhalide oxidant. While “free available chlorine” and “hypochlorite” aregenerally used herein when describing the bleach oxidant component, forpurposes of simplicity it will be appreciated that a wide variety ofother halides can be used, in addition to chlorine oxidizing compounds.For example, analogous compounds based on bromine are often alsosuitable for use. As such, use of the terms hypochlorite and freeavailable chlorine is meant to encompass analogous hypohalites andsimilar halide oxidants. Examples of suitable halide oxidants include,but are not limited to alkaline metal salts and/or alkaline earth metalsalts of hypochlorous acid, alkaline metal salts and/or alkaline earthmetal salts of hypobromous acid, hypochlorous acid, hypobromous acid,solubilized chlorine or other solubilized halide, solubilized chlorinedioxide, acidic sodium chlorite, chlorine-dioxide generating compounds,active chlorine generating compounds, or any other source of freechlorine or other halide oxidant.

Hypohalites refer to salts of hypohalous acids. Hypochlorites andhypochlorous acid may be particularly preferred, although otherhypohalites and hypohalous acids (e.g., hypobromites, hypobromous acid,etc.) may also be suitable for use. The salts may be alkali metal oralkaline earth metal salts of a hypohalous acid (e.g., hypochlorousacid), including combinations of salts, or combinations of a salt and anacid. Specific examples of hypohalites include sodium hypochlorite,potassium hypochlorite, calcium hypochlorite, magnesium hypochlorite,lithium hypochlorite, and combinations thereof. Analogous hypobromitesand other hypohalites may also be suitable for use.

In an embodiment, the halide oxidant component (broadly referred toherein as hypohalite or other free available halide oxidant) may bepresent in an amount of about 0.05% to less than 1%, at least 0.1%, atleast 0.15%, from 0.1% to less than 0.5% by weight of the composition,from 0.1% to 0.45% by weight of the composition, from 0.1% to 0.4% byweight of the composition, from 0.2% to 0.4% by weight of thecomposition, or from 0.2% to 0.3% by weight of the composition. In someembodiments, the hypohalite or other free available halide oxidant levelmay be less than 1%, less than 0.5%, less than 0.4%, or less than 0.35%by weight of the composition. In an embodiment, a concentration greaterthan 0.5% may be provided (e.g., up to 1%), but in which this higherconcentration is intended for dilution, e.g., down to less than 0.5% attime of use.

b. Surfactants

One or more surfactant(s) may be included in the composition.Surfactants have typically been included in bleach compositions toimprove the wetting or spreading ability of the formulation on surfacesthrough a reduction in surface tension, to better solubilize oily soils,or to aid in solubilizing aesthetic components such as fragrances. Inthe past, the conventional approach has been to formulate suchcompositions at pH 12 or greater, and to take particular care to selecta surfactant that is stable under such extreme pH conditions. Asdescribed in Applicant's U.S. Application bearing Attorney Docket No.950.136, herein incorporated by reference, Applicant has discovered thatat low oxidant conditions, surfactant selection may become a majordriver to microefficacy of the formulation.

While little attention has previously been paid to any effect thatsurfactant may have on stability and/or microefficacy, as described inApplicant's U.S. application Ser. No. 16/182,415, bearing AttorneyDocket No. 950.136, the type of surfactant selected for inclusion in theformulation can be very important to achieving the desired stabilityand/or microefficacy characteristics, particularly at the very lowlevels of hypochlorite or other free available chlorine as contemplatedherein. By way of example, previous compositions employed anysurfactant, as selected from various anionic, nonionic, cationic,amphoteric, or zwitterionic surfactants, including mixtures of classesof surfactants, so long as it was stable at the typical high pH value(e.g., 12.5+).

There has been no real development of low-level hypochlorite or otherfree available chlorine compositions that would exhibit low “bleach”odor, improved surface compatibility, and at the same time providesimilar 1-year stability when separated from a wipe used forapplication, while also exhibiting microefficacy against C. diff. orother target microbes. Applicant has discovered that anionic surfactantscan have a strong negative effect on stability and/or microefficacy, atthe low concentrations of hypochlorite or other free available chlorineas contemplated herein. Nonionic and/or zwitterionic surfactants havebeen found to have a strong positive effect on stability and/ormicroefficacy within such low-level bleach formulations. As such, in atleast some embodiments, the present compositions advantageously includenonionic and/or zwitterionic surfactants. If included, the concentrationof anionic surfactants is limited. At least some embodiments accordingto the present invention include no anionic surfactants at all. Cationicsurfactants may optionally be present. For example, the composition mayhave an R value that is greater than 0 (e.g., 0.5 or more, such as equalto 1) where R is defined as the sum of the concentration of any nonionicand/or zwitterionic surfactants, plus any included cationic surfactants,divided by total surfactant concentration.

Examples of nonionic surfactants include, but are not limited to,alcohol ethoxylates, alcohol propoxylates, alkyl phosphine oxides, alkylglucosides and alkyl pentosides, alkyl glycerol esters, alkylethoxylates, and alkyl and alkyl phenol ethoxylates of all types, polyalkoxylated (e.g. ethoxylated or propoxylated) C₆-C₁₂ linear or branchedalkyl phenols, C₆-C₂₂ linear or branched aliphatic primary or secondaryalcohols, and C₂-C₅ linear or branched aliphatic glycols. Block orrandom copolymers of C₂-C₆ linear or branched alkylene oxides may alsobe suitable nonionic surfactants. Capped nonionic surfactants in whichthe terminal hydroxyl group is replaced by halide; C₁-C₈ linear,branched or cyclic aliphatic ether; C₁-C₈ linear, branched or cyclicaliphatic ester; phenyl, benzyl or C₁-C₄ alkyl aryl ether; or phenyl,benzyl or C₁-C₄ alkyl aryl ester may also be used. Sorbitan esters andethoxylated sorbitan esters may also be useful nonionic surfactants.Other suitable nonionic surfactants may include mono or polyalkoxylatedamides of the formula R¹CONR²R³ and amines of the formula R¹NR²R³wherein R¹ is a C₅-C₃₁ linear or branched alkyl group and R² and R³ areC₁-C₄ alkyl, C₁-C₄ hydroxyalkyl, or alkoxylated with 1-3 moles of linearor branched alkylene oxides. Biosoft 91-6 (Stepan Co.) is an example ofan alkyl ethoxylate (or alcohol ethoxylate) having a methylene chainlength of C₉ to C₁₁ with an average of 6 moles of ethoxylation. Anexample of an alcohol ethoxylate is ECOSURF EH-9, which is morespecifically an ethylene oxide-propylene oxide copolymermono(2-ethylhexyl) ether, available from Sigma-Aldrich.

Alkylpolysaccharides that may be suitable for use herein are disclosedin U.S. Pat. No. 4,565,647 to Llenado, having a linear or branchedalkyl, alkylphenyl, hydroxyalkyl, or hydroxyalkylphenyl group containingfrom 6 to 30 carbon atoms and a polysaccharide, e.g., a polyglycoside,hydrophilic group containing from 1.3 to 10 saccharide units. Suitablesaccharides include, but are not limited to, glucosides, galactosides,lactosides, and fructosides. Alkylpolyglycosides may have the formula:R²O(CnH_(2n)O)_(t)(glycosyl)_(x) wherein R² is selected from the groupconsisting of alkyl, alkylphenyl, hydroxyalkyl, hydroxyalkylphenyl, andmixtures thereof in which the alkyl groups contain from 10 to 18 carbonatoms; n is 2 or 3; t is from 0 to 10, and x is from 1.3 to 10.

Fatty acid saccharide esters and alkoxylated fatty acid saccharideesters may also be suitable for use in the present invention. Examplesinclude, but are not limited to, sucrose esters, such as sucrosecocoate, and sorbitan esters, such as polyoxyethylene(20) sorbitanmonooleate and polyoxyethylene(20) sorbitan monolaurate.

Phosphate ester surfactants may also be suitable. These include mono,di, and tri esters of phosphoric acid with C₄-C₁₈ alkyl, aryl,alkylaryl, alkyl ether, aryl ether and alkylaryl ether alcohols (e.g.disodium octyl phosphate).

Zwitterionic surfactants may be employed. Many such zwitterionicsurfactants contain nitrogen. Examples of such include amine oxides,sarcosinates, taurates and betaines. Examples include C₈-C₁₈alkyldimethyl amine oxides (e.g., octyldimethylamine oxide,lauryldimethylamine oxide (also known as lauramine oxide), andcetyldimethylamine oxide), C₄-C₁₆ dialkylmethylamine oxides (e.g.didecylmethylamine oxide), C₈-C₁₈ alkyl morpholine oxide (e.g.laurylmorpholine oxide), tetra-alkyl diamine dioxides (e.g. tetramethylhexanane diamine dioxide, lauryl trimethyl propane diamine dioxide),C₈-C₁₈ alkyl betaines (e.g. decylbetaine and cetylbetaine), C₈-C₁₈ acylsarcosinates (e.g. sodium lauroylsarcosinate), C₈-C₁₈ acyl C₁-C₆ alkyltaurates (e.g. sodium cocoylmethyltaurate), C₈-C₁₈alkyliminodipropionates (e.g. sodium lauryliminodipropionate), andcombinations thereof. Lauryl dimethyl amine oxide (Ammonyx LO) myristyldimethyl amine oxide (Ammonyx MO), decylamine oxide (Ammonyx DO) areexamples of suitable zwitterionic surfactants, available from Stepan Co.

Cationic surfactants may optionally be included, e.g., in combinationwith a nonionic and/or zwitterionic surfactant. Examples of cationicsurfactants include, but are not limited to monomeric quaternaryammonium compounds, monomeric biguanide compounds, and combinationsthereof. Suitable exemplary quaternary ammonium compounds are availablefrom Stepan Co. under the tradename BTC (e.g., BTC 1010, BTC 1210, BTC818, BTC 8358). Any other suitable monomeric quaternary ammoniumcompound may also be employed. BTC 1010 and BTC 1210 are described asdidecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride and a mixture didecyl dimethylammonium chloride and n-alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride,respectively. Examples of monomeric biguanide compounds include, but arenot limited to chlorhexidine, alexidine and salts thereof. Cetyl (C₁₆)trimethylammonium chloride (CETAC) and pentyl (C₅) trimethyl ammoniumchloride are specific examples of cationic quaternary ammoniumsurfactants. Quaternary ammonium compounds are described in more detailin U.S. Pat. No. 6,825,158, incorporated by reference herein, and willalready be familiar to those of skill in the art.

Additional exemplary cationic surfactants includealkyltrimethylammonium, alkylpryidinium, and alkylethylmorpholiniumsalts, in which the alkyl group contains 4 to 18 carbon atoms,alternatively 12 to 16 carbon atoms. The alkyl chains may be linear orbranched or contain an aryl group. The counterion may be, but is notlimited to, chloride, sulfate, methylsulfate, ethylsulfate, or toluenesulfonate. Other suitable cationic surfactants include dialkyldimethylammonium salts, in which the alkyl groups each contain 4 to 12 carbonatoms such as dioctyldimethyl ammonium chloride. Other suitable cationicsurfactants may have two quaternary ammonium groups connected by a shortalkyl chain such as N-alkylpentamethyl propane diammonium chloride. Inthe above cationic surfactants the methyl substituents can be completelyor partially replaced by other alkyl or aryl substituents such as ethyl,propyl, butyl, benzyl, and ethylbenzyl groups, for exampleoctyldimethylbenzyl ammonium chloride and tetrabutylammonium chloride.

In one embodiment, the present formulations may avoid the use of anionicsurfactants. Non-limiting examples of such anionic surfactants that maybe excluded include: alkyl sulfates (e.g., C₈-C₁₈ linear or branchedalkyl sulfates such as sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), and sodiumtetradecylsulfate), alkyl sulfonates (e.g., C₆-C₁₈ linear or branchedalkyl sulfonates such as sodium octane sulfonate and sodium secondaryalkane sulfonate, alkyl ethoxysulfates, fatty acids and fatty acid salts(e.g., C₆-C₁₆ fatty acid soaps such as sodium laurate), and alkyl aminoacid derivatives. Other examples that may be excluded include: sulfatederivatives of alkyl ethoxylate propoxylates, alkyl ethoxylate sulfates,alpha olefin sulfonates, C₆-C₁₆ acyl isethionates (e.g. sodium cocoylisethionate), C₆-C₁₈ alkyl, aryl, or alkylaryl ether sulfates, C₆-C₁₈alkyl, aryl, or alkylaryl ether methylsulfonates, C₆-C₁₈ alkyl, aryl, oralkylaryl ether carboxylates, sulfonated alkyldiphenyloxides (e.g.sodium dodecyldiphenyloxide disulfonate), and the like.

Additional examples of suitable nonionic and/or zwitterionic surfactantsinclude lauryl dimethyl amine oxide (Ammonyx LO), also known aslauramine oxide, myristyl dimethyl amine oxide (Ammonyx MO), decylamineoxide (Ammonyx DO), other amine oxides, any betaines, linear alcoholethoxylates, alcohol propoxylates, alkyl polyglucosides, andcombinations thereof. Cationic surfactants, such as any quaternaryammonium chloride may optionally be present.

In one embodiment, examples of anionic surfactants that may be excludedinclude: sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), linear alkylbenzene sulfonate(LAS), any other sulfates, sulfonates, disulfonates, and any carboxylatefatty acids, particularly where such include alkyl groups have more than1, more than 2, more than 3, more than 4, or 8 or more carbon atoms inthe alkyl group.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, a anionic surfactant maybe included as surfactant aid. An example of such a suitable surfactantaid is an aromatic sulfonate, such as sodium xylene sulfonate (“SXS”) orsodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). Other aromatic sulfonates may similarlyserve as acceptable surfactant aids, particularly where they have noalkyl groups larger than a methyl group (e.g., sodium mesitylenesulfonate “SMS”, or the like).

In one embodiment, the surfactants may be selected based on green ornatural criteria. For example, there is an increasing desire to employcomponents that are naturally-derived, naturally-processed, andbiodegradable, rather than simply being recognized as safe. Such“natural surfactants” may be produced using processes perceived to bemore natural or ecological, such as distillation, condensation,extraction, steam distillation, pressure cooking and hydrolysis.

Additional examples of various surfactants are given in U.S. Pat. No.3,929,678 to Laughlin and Heuring, U.S. Pat. No. 4,259,217 to Murphy,and U.S. Publication No. 2013/0028990. The above patents andapplications are each herein incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

In one embodiment, the formulation may have an R value, where R is thesum of the concentration of any “good” surfactants (e.g., nonionic,zwitterionic, and cationic surfactants) divided by total surfactantconcentration (including surfactant aids). Such R value may be greaterthan 0, such as from 0.01 to 1, from 0.1 to 1, from 0.5 to 1, greaterthan 0.3, greater than 0.35, greater than 0.4, greater than 0.45,greater than 0.5, greater than 0.55, greater than 0.6, greater than0.65, greater than 0.7, greater than 0.75, greater than 0.8, greaterthan 0.9, or equal to 1 (i.e., all surfactants included are “good”, withno anionic surfactants or surfactant aids included). In an embodiment,the value of R may be equal to 1, but for the inclusion of a surfactantaid (such as SXS). As described herein, while SXS technically decreasesthe R value, the practical effect of its inclusion does not negate themicroefficacy and/or stability benefits associated with otherwise high Rvalues. In other words, a composition that includes an R value that isless than 1 (e.g., 0.5) solely because of the inclusion of an anionicsurfactant aid exhibits far better microefficacy and/or stability ascompared to a similar composition of the same R value, but where thedecrease in R value is because of the inclusion of an anionic surfactanthaving a long alkyl group, such as SLS.

In another embodiment, the R values may also refer to the “best”nonionic and/or zwitterionic surfactants, absent any “acceptable”cationic surfactants that may be included. For example, while cationicsurfactants may be acceptable, they are typically used in combinationwith a nonionic and/or zwitterionic surfactant. As such, the total ofnonionic and/or zwitterionic surfactants may account for at least 30%,at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 55%, atleast 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, atleast 85%, or at least 90% of total surfactants.

In an embodiment, surfactant concentration may typically be far lowerthan many other bleach formulations, e.g., given the low level of otheractive ingredients in the formulation. For example, total surfactantconcentration may range from 0.001% by weight to 1% by weight, from0.01% to 0.5% by weight, from 0.01% by weight to 0.1% by weight. Theratio of surfactant to hypohalite or other free available halide oxidantmay be from 1:1 to 100:1, from 3:1 to 50:1, from 5:1 to 20:1 or from 5:1to 15:1.

The composition may have a low viscosity, e.g., such as up to 1000 cps,or 1 to 100 cps.

c. Other Adjuvants

In addition to the oxidant and any optional surfactant(s), a wide rangeof optional adjuvants may be present. For example, buffers, oils,fragrances, solvents, pH adjusters (e.g., acids or bases), builders,silicates, preservatives and chelating agents, including but not limitedto EDTA salts, GLDA, gluconates, 2-hydroxyacids and derivatives,glutamic acid and derivatives, trimethylglycine, etc. may be included.

Dyes and colorants may be present. Thickeners may be present.

Enzymes may be present in some embodiments.

Water-miscible solvents may be present in some embodiments. Lower C₁-C₄alcohols (e.g., ethanol, t-butanol), ethylene glycol, propylene glycol,glycol ethers, and mixtures thereof with water miscibility at 25° C. maybe present in some embodiments. Other embodiments may include no loweralcohol (e.g., particularly ethanol or methanol) or glycol ethersolvents. Where such solvents are present, some embodiments may includethem in only small amounts, for example, of not more than 5%, not morethan 3%, not more than 2%, not more than 1%, or not more than 0.5%(e.g., from 0.01% to 0.5%) by weight.

Water-immiscible oils or solvents may be present, e.g., beingsolubilized into surfactant micelles. Among these oils include thoseadded as fragrances. Preferred oils are those that are from naturallyderived sources, including the wide variety of so-called essential oilsderived from a variety of botanical sources. Formulations intended toprovide antimicrobial benefits, coupled with improved overallsustainability may advantageously comprise quaternary ammonium compoundsand/or monomeric biguanides such as water soluble salts of chlorhexidineor alexidine in combination with essential oils such as thymol and thelike, preferably in the absence of water-miscible alcohols.

Silicates, builders, chelating agents, preservatives, fragrances, andany other adjuvants may be included in appropriate, effective amounts.In some embodiments, such levels may be from 0.01 to 10% by weight, orfrom 0.1 to 5% by weight, or from 0.1 to 1% by weight.

Suitable buffers include those materials capable of controlling ultimatesolution pH and which themselves resist reaction with the oxidant andremain in sufficient concentration to control the pH. Suitable buffersfurther include those buffers that are non-consumable with respect toaction by the hypochlorite or other free available chlorine oxidant. Inaddition, suitable buffers may have an acid dissociation constant (Ka)at 20° C. in the range from 1×10⁻² to 1×10¹², from 1×10⁻³ to 1×10¹¹,from 1×10⁻³ to 1×10⁻⁸, or from 1×10⁻⁸ to 1×10¹².

Suitable buffers may include salts and/or corresponding conjugate acidsand bases of the following classes of materials, and their derivatives:carbonates, bicarbonates, silicates, boric acid and borates, di- andmono-basic phosphates or phosphoric acid, monocarboxylic orpolycarboxylic acids such as acetic acid, succinic acid, octanoic acid,the like, and combinations thereof. Sodium carbonate is one suchspecific example.

N-sodium silicate, which serves to protect metal surfaces from damage,may be present. Other silicate salts or phosphate salts mayalternatively be used for such. Such silicates or phosphates may bepresent in a range of up to 0.2%, up to 0.1%, or up to 0.05% by weight.Such low concentrations are preferred to minimize build-up on anytreated surfaces. The compositions may provide low residuecharacteristics, as described below in conjunction with FIGS. 5A-5B.

In an embodiment, the buffer, if present, may be present from 0.001% byweight to 10% by weight, from 0.01% to 5% by weight, from 0.1% by weightto 1% by weight, or from 0.1% to 0.5% by weight.

Various other components that may be included in at least somecompositions provided separate, for dosing by the user immediately priorto use, may be disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,825,158; 8,648,027;9,006,165; 9,234,165, and U.S. Publication No. 2008/003906 each of whichis herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. In an embodiment,it may even be possible to provide one or more of the actives of thecomposition (e.g., powdered hypohalite, surfactant, quats, silver (e.g.,for silver ion antimicrobial effect), activators, etc. in dry form,where the pouch is filled with water, which upon release forms thedesired sanitizing or disinfecting composition, dosed on the wipe.

pH values for the present compositions may be about 7 to 12.5, about 8to 11.9, and less than 12.5, such as 8 to less than 12, greater than 9,10 or greater, about 9 to 11.9, about 10 to 11.5 or less, such as 11 to11.5, or the like. The relatively lower pH somewhat increases thevariety of organic surfactants that can be used, as stable under suchconditions. It also increases microefficacy, particularly where theoxidant concentration is already so low.

The compositions are liquids. The vast majority of the composition maycomprise water (e.g., at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 97%, at least98%, or at least 99% water).

Compositions including low levels of hypochlorite or other freeavailable chlorine as described herein may be used in a wide variety ofenvironments where sanitization and/or disinfection is desired. Examplesof such include but are not limited to cleaning, disinfection,sterilization, deodorization, mold removal, toxin and/or allergenremediation, application to surfaces that may contact food, treatment ofhard surfaces, fabrics or other soft surfaces, treatment of tools orother implements in health care or other settings, glass cleaners,toilet cleaning, and the like. The compositions may be provided as aready-to-use liquid, included in a burstable pouch of a package thatalso includes a plurality of wipes which are initially undosed, and uponactivation (e.g., bursting) of the pouch, the composition is releasedfor absorption into the wipes, e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 1B.

For example, FIG. 1A shows how the package 102 may include one or morepouches 108 that may be configured to store the composition long term,in a stable condition (e.g., for up to 6 months, or up to 1 year), withminimal reduction in hypochlorite or other free halide concentrationduring such relatively long shelf-life. The pouch 108 may be configuredas a “bubble” or other structure that is specifically engineered todeliver the composition into that portion of the package containing thewipes, when the “bubble” is burst, releasing the composition from thepouch (but still retained within the package 102). For example, as shownin FIG. 1E-1F, the pouch 108 may be separated from that portion of theinterior of the package or other container 102 that houses the wipes 104in a sealed internal cavity 110. In an embodiment, such initialseparation may be provided by a burstable membrane 112, e.g., whichirreversibly ruptures upon application of sufficient pressure on theexterior of pouch 108 (e.g., compressing composition 106 againstmembrane 112). Such a burstable membrane may simply be a region ofmaterial separating the chamber 107 in which composition 106 is stored,from chamber 110, in which the initially undosed wipes 104 are stored,as shown in FIG. 1E. Such membrane may be thinner (e.g., weaker) thanany surrounding boundary material, to ensure rupture occurs through suchmembrane. In an embodiment, the membrane (and all boundary materialdefining the interior cavity of pouch 108) may be formed from a materialthat is non-reactive with hypochlorite compositions, such aspolyethylene. For example, package 102 may similarly be formed frompolyethylene. FIG. 1E shows such a membrane intact, before bursting,while FIG. 1F shows the configuration after bursting has occurred, andthe composition has been forced out of pouch 108, into chamber 110,dosing wipes 104. While one such configuration is shown, it will beappreciated that numerous alternatives are possible for providinginitial separation of the composition 106, still within the same packagein which wipes 104 are also stored, which allows dosing of the wipesjust before initial use of one or more of such wipes. For example,instead of an irreversibly burstable membrane, a valve (e.g., a one-wayvalve) could be employed, to provide similar results.

While in an embodiment the wipes stored within portion 110 may besubstantially dry, in another embodiment, it is possible that they willbe pre-wetted with a liquid composition (e.g., simply water), ordry-loaded (e.g. loaded with surfactant or other actives butsubstantially dry) and they become dosed with the composition includingthe hypochlorite or other halide oxidant at the time of activation ofpouch 108. In any case, the wipes 104 are not loaded or dosed with theliquid treatment composition as described herein, including a lowconcentration of such a hypochlorite or the like until just before use.

Package 102 may include any of variously configured re-sealableclosures, e.g., such as any of various rigid closures, such as exemplaryrigid closure 114 illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1C. It will be apparent thatnumerous other closures and package configurations are also possible.For example, the closure could be flexible in nature (e.g., a flap thatreseals over the opening in the package, through which wipes arepulled). While the package 102 is shown as a “flex pack”, it will beapparent that numerous other possible packaging configurations are alsopossible, e.g., such as a tub (e.g., with a lid having a re-sealableopening through the lid), a canister (e.g., in which the wipes areconfigured as a “donut” that stands vertically within such a cylindricalcanister, as in FIG. 1G), or the like. For example, FIG. 1G shows asystem 200, with a vertical canister 202, where wipes 104 are providedas a “donut”, standing vertically within canister 202. Such canisterincludes initially sealed pouch(es) 208, containing the sanitizing ordisinfecting composition 106, for release and dosing of wipes 104 by theuser, immediately prior to use.

It will be apparent that the specifics of the packaging, and thearrangement of the wipes therein (e.g., as a stack of wipes where thewipes are arranged horizontally, in a planar stack as represented in1E-1F, as a donut in a canister, as in FIG. 1G, etc.) are notparticularly limited, and any of various possibilities may be suitablefor use with the systems described herein. Additional re-sealablecontainers and dispensers that may be adapted for use as describedherein (e.g., to include a burstable pouch with the sanitizing ordisinfecting composition initially stored separately therein) include,but are not limited to, those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,171,047 toDoyle et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,353,480 to McFadyen, U.S. Pat. No.4,778,048 to Kaspar et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,944 to Jackson et al.,U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,786 to McBride et al.; the entire contents of eachof the aforesaid references are incorporated herein by reference. Itwill be appreciated that numerous other possible containers could beused.

Typically, the wipes 104 are stacked or rolled and placed in thecontainer during mass manufacturing, without dosing them. Variousexamples of interleaving and/or stacking configurations that may be usedin a “flat pack”, “flex pack” or tub like container configuration areshown in U.S. Publication 2016/0031632, herein incorporated by referencein its entirety.

In any case, the package may provide a water-tight, as well as anair-tight seal. For example, the water-tight seal can prevent orminimize drying out of the wipes once the pouch has been activated,dosing the wipes. An air-tight seal may minimize dissolution of CO₂ fromthe atmosphere into the solution (either before or after activation),which CO₂ can otherwise result in formation of carbonic acid,undesirably dropping the pH (affecting stability).

While FIGS. 1A-1C and 1E-1F illustrate an embodiment that may include aplurality of pouches 108 initially holding the sanitizing ordisinfecting composition 106, FIG. 1D illustrates another embodiment ofa system 100′ and package 102′ that may be similarly configured to thoseof FIGS. 1A-1C, but which is shown as including a single pouch 108′(e.g., at an end of package 100′), that may be filled with thecomposition 106. It will be apparent that numerous configurations forthe package, and placement of the burstable pouch 108′ are possible.While FIGS. 1A-1C show two pouches 108, on the same side of package 102,it will be apparent that where there are multiple pouches 108, theycould be positioned on different sides, e.g., to better equilibratedosing of the composition 106 into wipes 104.

d. Wipes

The wipe may be formed from a material that comprises synthetic ornon-synthetic (e.g., pulp) fibers, a blend of pulp and synthetic fibers,or just pulp fibers. The wipe may be a nonwoven. Any of various nonwovenmaterials may be used, which are widely available from variouscommercial sources. Such layers and fibers may be wetlaid, airlaid,meltblown, spunbond, spunlaid, SMS (spunbond-meltblown-spunbond),coform, carded webs, thermal bonded, thermoformed, spunlace,hydroentangled, needled, or chemically bonded. In an embodiment, suchsurface layers may also incorporate a fraction of pulp fibers therein(e.g., as a homogenous blend of randomly distributed synthetic and pulpfibers, or where the pulp fibers are positioned non-randomly, e.g., atan exterior, or at an interior surface). In an embodiment, substantiallyall of the fibers in the wipe may be synthetic fibers. In anotherembodiment, some fraction of the fibers, even up to 100% thereof, maycomprise pulp fibers. In one embodiment, the wipes may compostable.Alternatively, blends of pulp and synthetic fibers can be used, as thoseof ordinary skill in the art will appreciate.

A wide variety of synthetic materials that can be formed into fibers,and laid into a nonwoven substrate layer are appropriate for use in thecontemplated multi-layer substrates. Examples of such polymericsynthetic materials include, but are not limited to polyethylene,polypropylene, PET, PVC, polyacrylics, polyvinyl acetates, polyvinylalcohols, polyamides, polystyrenes, or the like. No matter the choice ofmaterials (e.g., pulp or synthetic), the wipe may have a basis weight of30-120 gsm, such as 30-80 gsm.

Additional details of various possible suitable substrates, includingnon-woven substrates are found in U.S. Publication No. 2005/0155630, aswell as Applicant's Applications bearing Attorney Docket Nos. CGIG510.170, CGIG 510.172, and CGIG 510.174, each of which is hereinincorporated by reference in its entirety. The wipes can be formed byany of a number of different techniques, as will be apparent to those ofskill in the art.

IV. Examples

Exemplary sanitizing and disinfecting compositions that are formulatedto include a low concentration of hypochlorite are shown below inTable 1. Those with R values greater than 0, may be advantageous, forreasons described above. Microefficacy of such compositions against C.diff and TB (e.g., Mycobacterium Bovis) was tested, as described inApplicant's U.S. application Ser. No. 16/182,415, bearing AttorneyDocket No. 950.136, already incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TABLE 1 NaOCl SLS LO SXS t-butanol silicate Calculated Sample (ppm) (wt%) (wt %) (wt %) (wt %) (wt %) pH R value A 2000 — 0.05 0.1 0.5 — 10.50.33 B 2000 — 0.05 0.1 0.1 — 10.5 0.33 C 2000 0.05 — — 0.1 — 10.5 0 D2000 0.05 — — 0.5 — 10.5 0 E 3000 0.05 —  0.033 — — 11 0 F 2000 — — — —— 10 — G 2000 0.05 — — — — 10 0 H 2000 — — — — — 11.6 0 I 2000 0.05 — —— — 11.6 0 J 2000 — 0.03 — — — 10.5 1 K 2000 — 0.03 — 0.1 — 10.5 1 L2000 0.03 — — 0.1 — 10.5 0 M 2500 — 0.03 — — — 11 1 N 2500 — 0.03 — 0.1— 11 1 O 2500 0.03 — — — — 11 0 P 2000 — 0.05 0.1 0.1 0.25 10 0.33 Q2000 — 0.05 0.1 0.1 0.25 10.5 0.33 R 2500 — 0.05 0.1 0.1 0.25 10.5 0.33S 2500 — 0.05 0.1 — 0.25 10.5 0.33 T 2000 — 0.1  0.1 0.1 0.25 11 0.5 U2500 — 0.05 0.1 — 0.25 11 0.33 V 2000 — 0.03 — — 0.25 10.6 1 W 2500 —0.03 — — 0.25 10.6 1 X 2000 — 0.05  0.04 — 0.25 10.6 0.56 LO = lauryldimethyl amine oxide (Ammonyx LO) SLS = sodium lauryl sulfate SXS =sodium xylene sulfonate

Examples V and W exhibited particularly good phase stability, shelfstability, and effectivity against both C. diff and TB, at very lowhypochlorite (e.g., free available chlorine) concentrations. Examples M,N and T also exhibited promising results.

FIGS. 2-3 illustrate stability results for an exemplary bleachcomposition similar to those shown in Table 1 (e.g., with a low initialhypochlorite concentration of about 2500 to 3100 ppm, a pH of 11.2, 30ppm of Ammonyx LO, 3000 ppm of a buffer, and 660 ppm of a silicate),shown for the composition or “lotion” alone (not dosed on anysubstrate), as well as for the same composition dosed on wipes in a flatpack (e.g., similar to a configuration such as that shown in FIG. 1F),and for the same composition and same wipes, but where the wipes areconfigured as a “donut” packaged within a canister (e.g., as in FIG.1G). The wipes used for the test were substantially fully syntheticwipes (e.g., PET), with substantially no pulp content, having a weightbasis of 52 gsm.

Such accelerated stability testing is routinely performed at an elevatedtemperature (e.g., 120° F.) on an accelerated time schedule to predictshelf-stability. For example, 28 days at 120° F. may be indicative of 1year stability at 70° F. Details of such accelerated stability testingare disclosed in Applicant's U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,008,600 and 7,070,737,each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. Theresults show that the composition alone (e.g., as stored within pouch108) exhibits stability, for example, exhibiting no more than a maximumthreshold drop (e.g., 10%, 20%, 25%, or 30%) in hypochloriteconcentration for 1 year. The results also show that when dosed on thesubstrate, stability may be provided for perhaps 90-180 days, dependingon the threshold of the drop in hypochlorite concentration that isacceptable. FIGS. 2 and 3 also interestingly show that packaging thewipes as a donut within a canister may provide for better overallstability as compared to packaging within a “flat pack”, all else beingequal.

With respect to chlorine concentration, chlorine may be routinelymeasured and/or reported as free available chlorine, combined chlorine,or total residual chlorine. Free available chlorine refers to generally3 forms of chlorine that may be found in such formulations: (a)elemental chlorine (Cl₂), (b) hypochlorous acid (HOCl), and (c)hypochlorite ion (OCl). As used herein, use of the phrase “freeavailable chlorine” for practical purposes may be the same as thehypochlorite concentration, as while some hypochlorous acid and/ordissolved Cl₂ may be present, the hypochlorite represents the vastmajority of such free available chlorine, and it is typically aconcentration or amount of hypochlorite that is added to the formulation(after which some of this forms hypochlorous acid and/or dissolved Cl₂)according to equilibrium. In other words, if 2500 ppm of hypochlorite isinitially added to a given formulation, the free available chlorine mayalso be 2500 ppm. The vast majority of that amount may remain ashypochlorite, while some small fraction thereof may be converted tohypochlorous acid and/or dissolved Cl₂, but the formulation wouldcontinue to initially exhibit a free available chlorine concentration of2500 ppm. Over time or during use, such components are consumed as anoxidant, in reaction, or decomposition of such components graduallyoccurs, reducing the free available chlorine concentration. As describedabove, other halides (e.g., bromine) can be understood as analogous tothe above discussion of hypochlorites and free available chlorine.

As noted above, due to the stability characteristics of suchhypochlorite formulations, it would be expected that the concentrationof hypochlorite will gradually drop over the given shelf-life (e.g.,where shelf-stable is defined as a loss of no more than 25%hypochlorite, 20%, 10%, or other threshold drop when stored at 70° F.).Recognizing such, the formulation as initially manufactured and sold mayhave a concentration that that may be 25%, 20%, 10%, or similarlysomewhat higher than any of the exemplary values shown in Table 1, suchthat after (e.g., a year) of storage, the hypochlorite concentrationwould be as shown. For example, at the typical 2000 ppm to 3000 ppmconcentrations contemplated herein, one might expect a loss of about 500ppm of hypochlorite over such a 1 year period of time, where thecomposition is stored undosed on any substrate, sealed in a pouch 108 ofthe packaged system, as described herein. A decomposition of 500 ppm ofhypochlorite may drop the overall pH value of the formula by about 0.5pH units, where a carbonate or other buffer is present at e.g., from0.2% to less than 0.4%.

FIG. 4A shows stability data for an exemplary lotion (e.g., hypochloriteconcentration of about 2500 to 3100 ppm, pH of 11.2), for the lotionalone (undosed), as well as how the concentration of hypochloritequickly drops for the “squozate” to a value of only about 70% of itsinitial concentration after about 500 minutes (about 8 to 8.5 hours).The wipe used in the testing shown in FIG. 4A included significant pulpcontent (e.g., a 60/40 pulp/synthetic blend, with 60% pulp content).Thus, where packaged systems using synthetic wipes may provide for30-180 days, 30-150 days, or 30-90 days of usable stability after dosing(i.e., providing the desired reduction in a population of C. diff oranother target microbe), packaged systems with pulp containing wipes mayprovide for a usable stability that only extends for about 8 hours. Itcan thus be important that where the wipes include significant pulpcontent, that they be provided in a package that will be used up withinthe same day or work shift that the system and pack is activated.

Interestingly, the composition may thus be stable as stored within theburstable pouch (e.g., 108) to exhibit no more than a 30% loss of freeavailable chlorine over a 12 month period, while at the same time, oncedosed on the plurality of wipes, the composition may exhibit more than a30% loss of free available chlorine over a 12 month period. For example,the system may be such that the composition may exhibit no more than a25% loss of free available chlorine over a 12 month period beforeactivation (when stored in pouch 108), but may exhibit more than a 30%loss of free available chlorine over a 24 hour period upon activationand dosing of the composition onto the wipes.

FIG. 4B shows similar data as in FIG. 4A, but for slightly differentcompositions (e.g., 4000 ppm hypochlorite, and 2700 ppm hypochlorite),showing how the hypochlorite concentration drops for the lotion alone(un-dosed), and also showing the drop in hypochlorite concentration forthe squozate. The dashed box in FIG. 4B shows one acceptable targetthreshold, centered around a concentration of approximately 2000 ppmhypochlorite, which can provide the desired microefficacy against C.diff, as well as other target microbes. The data in FIG. 4B showsacceptable efficacy for up to 8 hours, or even up to a 1-2 days.

FIGS. 5A-5B show the streaking and filming residue characteristics oftested exemplary compositions (e.g., 2500 ppm hypochlorite, 30 ppm ofAmmonyx LO, 3000 ppm of a buffer, and 660 ppm of a silicate, pH 11.2) onstainless steel, ABS, and acrylic tiles. FIGS. 5A and 5B show residueresults after 30 wipes, under standardized testing conditions, each for3 compositions. One tested composition was as described herein, havinglow hypochlorite concentration (e.g., 2500 ppm hypochlorite, 30 ppm ofAmmonyx LO, 3000 ppm of a buffer, and 660 ppm of a silicate), at a pH of11.2. Another was otherwise similar, but at a pH of 12.1. These werecompared to a commercially available product, also with pH greater than12 (e.g., 12 to 12.5), with a hypochlorite concentration of 5500 ppm.The residue results shown in FIG. 5B show excellent results on stainlesssteel and acrylic, with near parity results on ABS, for the exemplarycomposition with a hypochlorite concentration of 2500, and a pH of lessthan 12 (e.g., 11.2).

FIG. 6 shows results of an odor evaluation for similar tested andcomparative compositions, both with and without the presence of soil.The first comparative example shown at left is the same comparativecomposition (hypochlorite concentration of 5500 ppm, pH of 12-12.5) usedin the residue testing. The “Comp. Ex. 2” in FIG. 6 is anothercommercially available composition, having a hypochlorite concentrationof 6300 ppm, and a pH of 12.5. The exemplary tested composition (2500ppm hypochlorite, 30 ppm of Ammonyx LO, 3000 ppm of a buffer, and 660ppm of a silicate, pH 11.2) exhibited significantly lower odorintensity, both for chloramine as well as fragrance, or overall odor.The “bleach” odor associated with the exemplary formulation is so minor,many test subjects did not even realize the composition includedhypochlorite.

Because the composition includes relatively low hypochloriteconcentration, and lower pH (i.e., less than 12, such as 11 to 11.5), italso exhibits significantly improved surface compatibility, across awide range of materials. For example, polycarbonate materials will oftencraze, crack, split, and even break upon prolonged exposure to elevatedhypochlorite concentrations and/or pH values of 12 or greater. Table 2below shows results of surface compatibility with these same testedcompositions, by soaking in such compositions for a period of 2 weeks.

TABLE 2 Composition Surface 24 Hr 48 Hr 72 Hr 2 Wks Ex. 1, pH PC 0 0 2 211.2 ABS 0 0 0 0 Comp. Ex. PC 1 2 3 4 ABS 0 0 0 0 Ex. 1, pH PC 2 2 3 412.1 ABS 0 0 0 0 0 = no effect 1 = craze 2 = crack 3 = split 4 = break

The results show a significant improvement in the surface compatibilityon polycarbonate in particular. This benefit is particularly enhancedwhen not only the hypochlorite concentration is maintained below 5000ppm (e.g., Ex. 1 had 2500 ppm), but where pH is also less than 12, asshown by the results.

Table 3 below shows a summary of evaluated surface compatibility,residue, odor, and microefficacy characteristics for the samecompositions tested in Table 2.

TABLE 3 Surface Safety Residue Odor C. Diff Composition PC ABS SS ABSAcrylic Odor time Comp. Ex. Control Control Control Control ControlControl 3 min Ex. 1, pH 11.2 + Parity + Parity Parity + 5 min Ex. 1, pH12.1 − Parity − − − 5 min

The summary of results show that the exemplary composition has improvedsurface safety, particularly with polycarbonate, while providing parityresults with ABS. Residue performance is significantly better withstainless steel, while providing parity results with ABS and acrylic.The odor profile for the exemplary composition is significantly betterthan the comparative example. While the C. diff time to achieve a log 3reduction is increased from 3 minutes to 5 minutes, this is in aformulation that is otherwise far more widely usable, e.g., on a widervariety of surfaces, and with significantly better odor characteristics.Such represents a significant advancement in the art. While tested inparticular against C. diff (e.g., including C. diff spores), othertarget microbes against which efficacy may be provided include, but arenot limited to, Pseudomonas, Trichophyton, Norovirus, M. bovis, andStaph.

Table 4 below shows another 24 compositions that may be exemplary of lowhypochlorite concentration that may be suitable for use according to thepresent invention.

TABLE 4 NaOCl SLS LO SXS EH-9 C10L BTC R Sample (ppm) (wt %) (wt %) (wt%) (wt %) (wt %) (wt %) pH value 2-1 2100 — — — — — — 11.6 — 2-2 2100 —— — — — — 10.3 — 2-3 2100 0.0508 — — — — — 11.6 0 2-4 2100 0.0508 — — —— — 10.3 0 2-5 2100 — 0.0516 — — — — 11.6 1 2-6 2100 — 0.0516 — — — —10.3 1 2-7 2100 — 0.0252 — — — 0.027  11.6 1 2-8 2100 — 0.0288 — — —0.027  10.3 1 2-9 2100 — — — 0.011  — — 11.6 1 2-10 2100 — — — 0.0496 —— 10.3 1 2-11 2100 — — — — 0.0564 — 11.6 0 2-12 2100 — — — — 0.0528 —10.3 0 2-13 2100 — — 0.051 — — — 11.6 0 2-14 2100 — — 0.05 — — — 10.3 02-15 2100 0.0496 — 0.051 — — — 11.6 0 2-16 2100 0.0521 — 0.05 — — — 10.30 2-17 2100 — 0.0504 0.051 — — — 11.6 0.5 2-18 2100 — 0.0504 0.05 — — —10.3 0.5 2-19 2100 — 0.0312 0.051 — — 0.0304 11.6 0.55 2-20 2100 —0.0336 0.05 — — 0.0264 10.3 0.57 2-21 2100 — — 0.051 0.0498 — — 11.60.49 2-22 2100 — — 0.05 0.051  — — 10.3 0.5 2-23 2100 — — 0.051 — 0.0552— 11.6 0 2-24 2100 — — 0.05 — 0.0564 — 10.3 0 LO = lauryl dimethyl amineoxide (Ammonyx LO) SLS = sodium lauryl sulfate SXS = sodium xylenesulfonate EH-9 = ECOSURF EH-9, a nonionic alcohol ethoxylate surfactantC10L = DOWFAX C10L, an anionic alkyldiphenyloxide disulfonate surfactantBTC = BTC 1010, a cationic didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride surfactant

Table 5 below shows another 6 sample compositions that may be exemplaryof low hypochlorite concentration that may be suitable for use accordingto the present invention.

TABLE 5 Sodium Sodium NaOCl SLS Carbonate Silicate NaOH Water Sample (wt%) (wt %) (wt %) (wt %) (wt %) (wt %) pH 3-1 0.26-0.51 0.01 0.28-0.360.02-0.03 0.02-0.03 balance 11-12 3-2 0.27-0.34 0.01 0.28-0.36 0.02-0.030.02-0.03 balance 11-12 3-3 0.28-0.35 0.01 0.28-0.36 0.02-0.03 0.02-0.03balance 11-12 3-4 0.29-0.36 0.01 0.28-0.36 0.02-0.03 0.02-0.03 balance11-12 3-5 0.29-0.37 0.01 0.28-0.36 0.02-0.03 0.02-0.03 balance 11-12 3-60.34-0.43 0.01 0.28-0.36 0.02-0.03 0.02-0.03 balance 12

The microefficacy of one of the exemplary compositions from Table 5against C. diff was tested, as described in Applicant's U.S. applicationSer. No. 16/182,415, bearing Attorney Docket No. 950.136, alreadyincorporated by reference in its entirety. The results are sufficient tosupport a disinfection claim (e.g., a log 6 reduction) against C.difficile for 180 second contact time with a PET substrate.

TABLE 6 Sample % wt. Wipe Contact time C. difficile ID ingredientsubstrate pH (seconds) log reduction 1 99.392% water PET 10.9 180 6.430.273% sodium hypochlorite 0.01% sodium lauryl sulfate 0.29% sodiumcarbonate 0.025% sodium silicate 0.01% sodium hydroxide

Any of the sanitizing or disinfecting compositions described herein maybe provided in an amount in a burstable pouch (e.g., 108, 108′, 208),relative to the mass of the packaged un-dosed wipes to result in adesired loading ratio of the composition into the wipes, once the systemis activated. For example, the mass loading ratio of lotion to substratemay be from about 0.1:1 to about 10:1 by weight, such as from 2:1 to6:1, or from 3:1 to 5:1 Once dosed, the wipes (or other substrates) maybe employed as disinfecting or sanitizing wipes. Because of the goodsurface compatibility, the wipes are suitable for use on a wide varietyof surfaces, e.g., configured for general use, rather than only for useon specific surfaces, or in specific areas (e.g., isolation rooms). Itmay also be possible to provide such a system for floor cleaning orother cleaning, in combination with various tools configured to attachto the wipe or substrate.

Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, one ofordinary skill can make various changes and modifications to theinvention to adapt it to various usages and conditions. As such, thesechanges and modifications are properly, equitably, and intended to be,within the full range of equivalence of the following claims.

1. A system for sanitizing or disinfecting, the system comprising: apackage containing a plurality of wipes that are initially un-dosed; anda sanitizing or disinfecting composition contained within the package,initially separate from the un-dosed wipes, within a burstable pouch ofthe package, configured to dose the plurality of initially un-dosedwipes with the sanitizing or disinfecting composition upon bursting ofthe pouch containing the sanitizing or disinfecting composition, whereinthe sanitizing or disinfecting composition comprises: (a) about 0.05 to1.0% by weight of an oxidant; (b) wherein the composition has a pH ofless than 12.5; and (c) wherein the sanitizing or disinfectingcomposition exhibits at least a 3-log reduction in a C. diff populationwithin 10 minutes.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the composition hasa pH from 8 to less than
 12. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein thecomposition has a pH of 11.5 or less.
 4. The system of claim 1, whereinthe composition has a pH of 11 to 11.5.
 5. The system of claim 1,wherein the plurality of wipes are initially dry and the package isre-sealable.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the burstable pouch ofthe package comprises a burstable membrane that initially separates thesanitizing or disinfecting composition from the un-dosed wipes.
 7. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the membrane comprises polyethylene.
 8. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the oxidant comprises a hypohalite.
 9. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the oxidant comprises a hypochlorite.
 10. Thesystem of claim 9, wherein the hypochlorite comprises sodiumhypochlorite.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the composition furthercomprises a surfactant.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein thecomposition has an R value that is greater than 0, where R is defined asthe sum of the concentration of any nonionic or zwitterionic surfactantsplus any cationic surfactants, divided by total surfactantconcentration.
 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the surfactantcomprises at least one of an alkyl amine oxide, an alcohol ethoxylate,an alcohol propoxylate, or an alkyl polyglucoside.
 14. The system ofclaim 13, wherein the surfactant comprises at least one of lauramineoxide, decylamine oxide, or myristyl dimethylamine oxide.
 15. The systemof claim 1, wherein the oxidant is hypohalite range from 0.1% to lessthan 0.5% by weight.
 16. The system of claim 1, wherein the oxidant isin a range from 0.1% to 0.4% by weight.
 17. The system of claim 1,wherein the oxidant is in a range from 0.2% to 0.3% by weight.
 18. Asystem for sanitizing or disinfecting, the system comprising: are-sealable package containing a plurality of initially dry wipes; and asanitizing or disinfecting composition contained within the package,initially separate from the dry wipes, within a burstable pouch of thepackage, configured to dose the plurality of initially dry wipes withthe sanitizing or disinfecting composition upon bursting of the pouchcontaining the sanitizing or disinfecting composition, wherein thesanitizing or disinfecting composition comprises: (a) from 0.05% to lessthan 0.5% by weight of a hypochlorite; (b) at least one nonionic orzwitterionic surfactant; (c) at least one anionic surfactant selectedfrom the group consisting of: sulfates, sulfonates and any mixtures orcombinations thereof; (d) wherein the composition has a pH from 8.5 to11.8; and (e) wherein the sanitizing or disinfecting compositionexhibits at least a 3-log reduction in a C. diff population within 10minutes.
 19. The system of claim 18, wherein: the composition is stableas stored within the burstable pouch so as to exhibit no more than a 25%loss of free available chlorine over a 12 month period; and thecomposition as dosed on the plurality of wipes exhibits more than 30%loss of free available chlorine over a 24 hour period.
 20. A method forsanitizing or disinfecting, the method comprising: providing a systemcomprising: a re-sealable package containing a plurality of initiallydry wipes; and a sanitizing or disinfecting composition contained withinthe package, initially separate from the un-dosed wipes, within aburstable pouch of the package, configured to dose the plurality ofinitially un-dosed wipes with the sanitizing or disinfecting compositionupon bursting of the pouch containing the sanitizing or disinfectingcomposition, wherein the sanitizing or disinfecting compositioncomprises: (a) about 0.05% to 0.5% by weight of a hypochlorite; (b)wherein the composition has a pH of about 7 to 11.9; and (c) wherein thesanitizing or disinfecting composition exhibits at least a 3-logreduction in a C. diff population within 10 minutes; activating thesystem by bursting the pouch containing the sanitizing or disinfectingcomposition, so as to dose the initially un-dosed wipes with thesanitizing or disinfecting composition; and using at least one of thedosed wipes to treat a surface.